Social Anxiety

Feeling overwhelmed by social interaction?

Social anxiety disorder is a disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. Anxiety (intense nervousness) and self-consciousness arise from a fear of being closely watched, judged, and criticized by others. A person with social anxiety disorder is afraid that he or she will makemistakes and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. The anxiety can build into a panic attack.

Here are 9 tips that I recommend

1. Don’t avoid social gathering. The worse thing you can do is stop yourself from attending social activities. The more you avoid social situations the more anxiety provoking they will become.

2. Deep breathing is a great technique to help lower your anxiety level. Practicing deep breathing regulates your heart rate,
clears your mind and floods you with an overall sense of wellbeing.

3. Greetings are a must at any social gathering. This goes for the host/hostess as well as a boss or supervisor if you are at a work related function.

4. Join a group and be an active listener. Being an active listener is showing interest in the conversation by making eye contact, nodding and asking questions.

5. If you are beginning to implement new techniques to address your anxiety you can take it slow by engaging one person at a time at the event. The goal is to be interested not interesting.

6. If you need to initiate an interaction begin with asking open-ended question and continue to ask questions until that topic is exhausted. You will find most people like being asked questions and enjoy talking about themselves.

7. Limit you alcohol consumption. Many people with social anxiety use alcohol to help them relax during social events. However, this is not a healthy coping tool and often causes more anxiety or inappropriate behavior.

8. Upon leaving make sure to say goodbyes and thank you to the host/hostess or to your supervisor if you are at a work related function.

9. Remember a small level of anxiety before social events is normal. Anxiety usually begins to decrease once you have engaged in the activity.

People with social anxiety disorder suffer from distorted thinking, including false beliefs about social situations and the negative opinions of others. Without treatment, social anxiety disorder can negatively interfere with the your normal daily routine, including school, work, social activities, and relationships. (WebMD.com)